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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. game — a match
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. press — to push
  8. branch — a division
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bat — the animal
  11. staff — a stick
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. game — wild animals
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com